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Do You and Your Guy Have Similar Spending Habits?

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ll go to the drugstore to buy shampoo and body wash and walk out with a receipt for a $25 purchase. But this never happens to my boyfriend. Seriously, it’s like he has an innate GPS that hones in on the least expensive items. This weekend, we made guac with ingredients—a HUGE avocado, cilantro, a tomato, and a lime—that he bought for $5! Do you and your guy have different spending habits, too? If so, you’re not alone

According to a study discussed in thisTimes article, opposite spenders do attract! That may come as no surprise (especially if you grew up listening to Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract,” like I did), but it's not always the best situation. Even though it’s common for people with differing purchase habits to become lovebirds, their relationship may suffer because of it. According to the study, “Spendthrifts” who marry “tightwads” (that’s the actual terminology that the researchers used), aren’t as happily married as couples who swipe their plastic and squander (or save!) their Benjamins in a similar fashion.

Who wears the pants in this relationship?

That being said, you and your mate don’t have to be on the exact same page when it comes to how much moolah you dish out—and what you dish it out for. The key is having similar attitudes toward spending. Are you both relatively conservative about your purchases, or does one person part with their hard-earned cash much more easily than the other? If you two differ too much here (think: he springs for a Porsche on an impulse, while you debate a $30 top), problems may pop up. And talking about money matters before tying the knot helps, too.

“You would be shocked at how many people don’t talk about these things before they get married,” said Susan Reach Winters, a divorce lawyer in Short Hills, N.J. “I mean, they’re willing to get naked with these people before they get married, but they don’t, or can’t, talk about money before they decide to move in together or get married.”

So, tell me, do you usually date guys with spending habits that are similar to your own? Or, are you attracted to fellas with totally different views about spending? Has money ever been a source of conflict with you and your guy? Do you think it’s important to talk about spending with your mate?